In many manufacturing environments, items need to be transported and reoriented from a first location to a second location. Such a transfer usually requires high repetition and can be manually intensive. In addition, transporting and reorienting items can be physically awkward and/or ergonomically taxing. The use of semi or fully automated systems are advantageous in such circumstances, however, many such systems are very expensive and cost prohibitive. In addition, some semi or fully automated systems are so large and complex that they tend to eliminate or obstruct an operators access to the adjacent machinery. This is undesirable. Furthermore, many of the commercially available semi or fully automated systems on the market today tend to be complex in construction, especially those involving robotics, and they require special maintenance personnel to keep them operating properly. The high cost of these commercially available systems prohibit their use where they are really needed. To further complicate matters, some of the automated systems presently in use today actually restrict or prevent increases in production rates because of the way they are built and/or utilized.
What is needed is an efficient, flexible and economical means for transporting and reorienting items between two locations which is constructed such that an operators access to the equipment located on either side of the transfer mechanism is not obstructed. Furthermore, the equipment should be designed such that it has few moving parts and is inexpensive. It is also advantageous to be able to shut down the equipment without removing it so as to revert back to manual operation if necessary.
Now an apparatus and method for transporting and reorienting items between two locations has been invented which is simple, inexpensive and will not limit production rates. The apparatus and method can also be turned off so that the automatic operation can revert to manual operation without physically removing the equipment. The apparatus can also be easily integrated into very confined areas.